I love my garden, but this time my focus is elsewhere. This was the week when I put my post-covid nerves aside and took a long train journey…..all the way to the Chelsea Flower Show. My first time…we had a great time. This week I’m dedicating my #SixonSaturday to highlights from the show.

First, up, this year’s style was very much naturalistic planting, I think the plant that featured most was geum, and here are some really gorgeous examples. I need to get some more for my own garden.

I’m a big fan of alliums, and they did pop up in some of the show gardens, but also featured in several displays in the grand pavilion. WOW, look at these.

With a 6.5 hour train journey home to contend with, I didn’t buy any plants, but bulbs and corms were had, including several from a fabulous stand showing Zantedeschia — previously known to me as calla lily. I’ve gone for the purple-white one on the left, and a bright red that didn’t make it into this shot.

One stand wove clematis across the ground, round boulders, round obelisks, and they were so SO sumptuous. Like this one.

I always keep an eye out for veg. I know it’s a show garden, and thus ‘faked’, but just look at these rows of obedient and tasty veg: the stuff of dreams.

Finally, a long shot of one of the gardens. The pink-purple through to muted orange was very much a favourite theme of the show. What’s not to love about those colours? This was a ‘wild garden’ example, in the grand pavilion itself (it did turn out to be a breezy and rainy day, so the pavilion kept us happy for hours).

I’d love to go again one day, but maybe next year I’ll focus on a show a little closer to Scotland! Tatton Park and Harlow Carr look promising, as does a new flower show that’s being set up at Scoune Castle, near Perth.

That’s my #SixonSaturday for this week, back to my own garden next week, and maybe to veg, which I’ve been working to get planted and watered in nicely before a holiday (yep, GOING AWAY to another country) that’s coming up soon. Stay safe, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.